Simon Willson
Encyclopedia
Born in Bath, UK, he is the youngest son of record breaking former world 16m glider champion and renowned Combined Services and Hong Kong cricketer
Hong Kong cricket team
The Hong Kong cricket team represents Hong Kong in international cricket. It played its first match in 1866 and has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council since 1969....
B.J. “Tug” Willson.
Raised in Hong Kong, Willson has been a part of the Asian dance scene since the early eighties when he span in Tramps Disco Central, which was possibly Hong Kong's first regular "party night" as, every Friday, the tables and chairs were removed from an Indonesian restaurant and it filled up with fellow expat teenagers – Hong Kong's Brat Pack.
Turning "Pro" in 1983 he became resident DJ in Club 1997 Lan Kwai Fong
Lan Kwai Fong
Lan Kwai Fong is a small square of streets in Central, Hong Kong. The area was dedicated to hawkers before the Second World War, but underwent a renaissance in the mid 1980s. It is now a popular expatriate haunt in Hong Kong for drinking, clubbing and dining...
(Now Post 97). Then after touring Taiwan he returned to Hong Kong to take up residency at New World "Faces" during 1984 at the time HK's most popular and exclusive club.
1985 saw him become the first resident foreign DJ in China as he took up residency at “Nicole's Disotecque” in Sheraton Hua Ting Hotel.
Returning to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
in 1986 he was resident DJ at "The Cavern" Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui , often abbreviated as TST, is an urbanized area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsim Sha Tsui...
's premier late night spot from 10pm all the way through till dawn.
From 1984 through 1989 Willson acted in dozens of Hong Kong movies and TV productions starting off as an extra, working up through bit parts to supporting roles. He's best known as the vampire in Cinema City's production “Vampire's Breakfast” which still features regularly on STAR TV
STAR TV
Satellite Television Asia Region is an Asian TV service owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. It is headquartered in Hong Kong, with regional offices in mainland China, Taiwan....
Chinese Movie Channel
STAR Chinese Movies
STAR Chinese Movies is a Chinese movie channel. It features Chinese films with Chinese stars including Jackie Chan, Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, Andy Lau, Sammi Cheng and Stephen Chow...
.
By early 1989 Willson was the producer/presenter of “Night Music” 4 weekly late night radio shows on RTHK (Radio Television Hong Kong) Radio 3. This was cut short by a serious motor cycle accident he broke his jaw in four places, dislocated and damaged his knees and broke his right index finger.
Willson gives great thanks to Hong Kong Medical Health Department and Prince Of Wales Hospital, Sha Tin for the 5½ hours of re-constructive jaw surgery and 2 hour arthroscopic knee surgery on injuries which required over a month of hospitalization and months of Physiotherapy yet cost less than HK$1,000 (about US$120.00).
Additional Physiotherapy was on the dance floor at "The Big Apple" Wan Chai
Wan Chai
Wan Chai is a metropolitan area situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to the south. The area north of Gloucester Road is often called...
with DJ's Lee Burridge
Lee Burridge
Lee Burridge is a DJ, producer, and record label owner who helped launch the underground club scene in Hong Kong during the early 1990s, and today plays at nightclubs across the world....
& Christian the attending Physicians. Willson used his recovery time to become computer literate.
After a hiatus from DJ'ing he used his experience of Asia and specifically China to switch to event management. He was tour manager of the Kix Interactive Heineken Music Tour, touring China in 1998, which featured Jennifer Su as MC. Traveling with a group of more than 20 performers and crew performing in 81 large nightclubs and discos in 33 Major Chinese cities including Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Chengdu
Chengdu
Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, Dongguan
Dongguan
Dongguan is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong province, People's Republic of China.An important industrial city located in the Pearl River Delta, Dongguan borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the north, Huizhou to the northeast, Shenzhen to the south, and the Pearl River to...
, Shenzen, Shantou
Shantou
Shantou , historically known as Swatow or Suátao, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, with a total population of 5,391,028 as of 2010 and an administrative area of...
, Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
and Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
nearly all the way to Mongolia.
Renowned for his non-commercial approach to clubbing Willson is also one of the driving forces behind Lamma Life Force famous for free Full Moon Beach parties on Lamma Island
Lamma Island
Lamma Island , also known as Pok Liu Chau or simply Pok Liu , is the third largest island in Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Islands District.-Name:...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
from 1998 until the current day.
In 1998 he returned to RTHK Radio 3 as the host of “The Year In Question” a retro-news/golden oldies show. He remains part of the radio 3 lineup. Willson's great love of music and knowledge of an incredibly wide variety means that he is often called to stand in for Uncle Ray when he has days off.
Simon was MC with Paul Oakenfold
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...
Heineken Thirst Asia Tour 2003.
From 2000 through September 2007 he hosted Cool Trax, Two hours of Hip-Hop, RnB & Soul followed by The Rhythm Hong Kong’s only dance music show, produced 100% from vinyl and broadcast on RTHK Radios 3 and 4 from 10 pm to 2 am on Saturday nights.
He currently hosts Simon's Sunday After-Noon Session on RTHK Radio 3 (13:10-16:00)
Monday to Fridays he can bee heard on Teen Time (21:05 - 22:00) with Alyson Hau
Alyson Hau
Alyson Hau . Born on October 10, 1983) is a radio DJ/presenter in Hong Kong and is sometimes known by the nicknames "Allie" or "Ally". She has previously worked at Metro Radio's 104 FM Select in 2000 and Commercial Radio Hong Kong's HMV864 from 2000-2003.She is fluent in Cantonese, English and...
doing artist profiles and CD reviews.
From time to time he can be found weaving a happy, uplifting Freestyle mix at Hong Kong's leading and underground parties.
September 2007 Willson announced on his Myspace that he's currently learning film making from Godfrey Ho
Godfrey Ho
Godfrey Ho is a former Hong Kong-based prolific film director and screenwriter, sometimes considered the Ed Wood of Hong Kong cinema. Ho is believed to having directed more than one hundred films, including over 80 movies from 1980 to 1990, but only one film since 1995, apparently retiring from...
at the Hong Kong Film Academy doing a full time course in TV and Film Production.
8 December 2008 saw the release of the maitreya music video "LotaLuv" in which Willson is credited as Executive Producer and Assistant Director.